AND RELIGION 



the suggestion of any one ; and, if the precept be not self-evidently 

 good, we shall never receive it as such from the lips of a man, 

 whose character and life tell us we ought to suspect the truth of 

 every thing he utters. When the matters as to which we are 

 receiving instructions are, in their nature, wholly dissimilar to 

 those as to which we have witnessed the conduct of the teacher, 

 we may reasonably, in listening to the piecept, disregard that 

 conduct. Because, for instance, a man, though a very indifferent 

 Christian, may be a most able soldier, seaman, physician, lawyer, 

 or almost any thing else ; and what is more, may be honest and 

 zealous in the discharge of his duty in any of these several 

 capacities. But, when the conduct, which we have observed in 

 the teacher belongs to the same department of life as the precept 

 which he is delivering, if the one differ from the other we cannot 

 believe the teacher to be sincere, unless he, while he enforces his 

 precept upon us, acknowledge his own misconduct. Suppose 

 me, for instance, to be a great liar, as great a liar, if possible, as 

 STEWART of the COURIER, who has said that I have been &quot; fined 

 &quot; 700 dollars for writing against the American government,&quot; 

 though I never was prosecuted in America in all my life. Suppose 

 me to be as great a liar as STEWART, and I were to be told by a 

 parson, whom I knew to be as great a liar as myself, that I should 

 certainly go to hell if I did not leave off lying. Would his words 

 have any effect upon me ? No : because I should conclude, 

 that if he thought what he said, he would not be such a liar himself. 

 I should rely upon the parson generally, or I should not. If I 

 did, I should think myself safe until I out-lied him ; and, if I did 

 not rely on him generally, of what use would he be to me ? 



440. Thus, then, if men be sincere about religion ; if it be not 

 all a mere matter of form, it must always be of the greatest con 

 sequence, that the example of the teacher correspond with his 

 teaching. And the most likely way to insure this, is to manage 

 things so that he may in the first place, be selected by the people, 

 and, in the second place, have no rewards in view other than those 

 which are to be given in consequence of his perseverance in a line 

 of good conduct. 



441. And thus it is with the clergy in America, who are duly 

 and amply rewarded for their diligence, and very justly respected 

 for the piety, talent, and zeal which they discover ; but, who have 

 no tenure of their places other than that of the will of the con 

 gregation. Hence it rarely indeed happens, that there is seen 

 amongst them an impious, an immoral, or a despicable man. 

 Whether- the teaching of even these Reverend persons have any 

 &quot;very great effect in producing virtue .and happiness amongst men 

 is a question upon which men may, without deserving to be burnt 

 alive, take the liberty to differ; especially since the world has 

 constantly before its eyesTa .&quot;society, jyho excel in all the Christian 

 virtues, who practise that simplicitylwhich others Tfeach, who, in 

 the great work of charity, really and truly hide from the left hand 



o 189 



